المر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَالَّذِي أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ الْحَقُّ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Alif. Lām. Mīm. Rā. THESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation: and what has been bestowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is the truth – yet most people will not believe [in it]. (1)
اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ بِلِقَاءِ رَبِّكُمْ تُوقِنُونَ
It is God who has raised the heavens without any supports that you could see, and is established on the throne of His almightiness; and He [it is who] has made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws], each running its course for a term set [by Him]. He governs all that exists. Clearly does He spell out these messages, so that you might be certain in your innermost that you are destined to meet your Sustainer [on Judgment Day]. (2)
وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا وَمِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
And it is He who has spread the earth wide and placed on it firm mountains and running waters, and created thereon two sexes of every [kind of] plant; [and it is He who] causes the night to cover the day. Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for people who think! (3)
وَفِي الْأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَىٰ بِمَاءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فِي الْأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
And there are on earth [many] tracts of land close by one another [and yet widely differing from one another]; and [there are on it] vineyards, and fields of grain, and date-palms growing in clusters from one root or standing alone, [all] watered with the same water: and yet, some of them have We favoured above others by way of the food [which they provide for man and beast]. Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for people who use their reason! (4)
وَإِنْ تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَإِذَا كُنَّا تُرَابًا أَإِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ الْأَغْلَالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
BUT IF thou art amazed [at the marvels of God's creation], amazing, too, is their saying, "What! After we have become dust, shall we indeed be [restored to life] in a new act of creation?" It is they who [thus show that they] are bent on denying their Sustainer; and it is they who carry the shackles [of their own making] around their necks; and it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to abide. (5)
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمُ الْمَثُلَاتُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
And [since, O Prophet, they are bent on denying the truth,] they challenge thee to hasten the coming upon them of evil instead of [hoping for] good – although [they ought to know that] the exemplary punishments [which they now deride] have indeed come to pass before their time. Now, behold, thy Sustainer is full of forgiveness unto men despite all their evildoing: but, behold, thy Sustainer is [also] truly severe in retribution! (6)
وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ
However, they who are bent on denying the truth [refuse to believe and] say, "Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed on him from on high by his Sustainer?" [But] thou art only a warner; and [in God] all people have a guide. (7)
- Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra.1 THESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation:2 and what has been bestowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is the truth - yet most people will not believe [in it]?3
- 1 See Appendix II.
- 2 Although some commentators are of the opinion that the term kitab ("divine writ" or "revelation") refers here to this particular surah, Ibn 'Abbas states emphatically that it denotes the Qur'an as a whole (Baghawi).
- 3 This passage connects with the concluding verses (102-111) of the preceding surah, and particularly with verse 103, all of which, stress the divine origin of the Qur'an.
- A.L.M.R.1798 These are the signs (or verses)1799 of the Book: that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth; but most men believe not.
- 1798 For Alif, Lam, Mim, see 2:1, n. 25. For Alif, Lam, Ra', see Introduction to S. 10. For abbreviated Letters generally see Appendix I. Here there seems to be a combination of the groups Alif, Lam, Mim and Alif, Lam, Ra'. We consider here not only the beginning (Alif), the middle (Lam), and the end (Mim), of man's spiritual history, but also the immediate future of the interior of our organisation, such as it appeared to our Ummah towards the close of the Makkan period. But in trying to determine their meaning, we must not be dogmatic. The befitting attitude is to say: Allah knows best. (R).
- 1799 Cf. 10:1, n. 1382.
-
A.L.M.R. These are the signs (or verses) of the Book: that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth; but most men believe not.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra. These are verses of the Scripture. That which is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth, but most of mankind believe not.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
Alif Lam Mim Ra. These are the verses of the Book; and that which is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, but most people do not believe.
— M. Habib Shakir -
Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. These are the Verses of the Book (the Qur'an), and that which has been revealed unto you (Muhammad SAW) from your Lord is the truth, but most men believe not.
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra. These are the verses of the Book. And that which is sent down unto thee from thy Lord is the truth, but most of the people believe not.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
AlifLaamMeemRa. Those are the verses of the Book. That which is sent down to you (Prophet Muhammad) from your Lord is the truth, yet most people do not believe.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
Alif Lam Mim Ra (A.L.M.R.); those are the Signs of the Book; and that which is sent down to thee from thy Lord is the truth, but most men believe not.
— Ayub Khan -
Alif Lam Mim Ra. These are the verses of the perfect Book. That which has been revealed to thee from thy Lord is the truth, but most men believe not.
— Sher Ali -
Alif. Lām. Mīm. Rā.
THESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation: and what has been bestowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is the truth – yet most people will not believe [in it].
— Muhammad Asad -
Alif Lam Mim Ra. Those are the signs of the Book; and that which has been sent down to thee from thy Lord is the truth, but most men do not believe.
— Arthur Arberry -
Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra'. These are the verses of the Divine Book. Whatever has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, and yet most (of your) people do not believe.{{1}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi